Beecher's Handmade Cheese
Beecher's Handmade Cheese is a Seattle-based artisan cheesemaker and prepared-foods producer founded in 2003, selling award-winning Flagship cheeses, frozen mac and cheese, soups, and crackers through 12 cafes, nationwide grocery retail, and a 30+ distributor wholesale network.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersSeattle, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Beecher's Handmade Cheese does
Beecher's Handmade Cheese is a Seattle-based artisan cheesemaker and prepared-foods producer founded in 2003 by Kurt Beecher Dammeier, operating as a subsidiary of the Sugar Mountain holding company under the legal entity Sugar Mountain Online, LLC. The company produces handcrafted cow's milk cheeses — most notably the Flagship line (Flagship, Flagship Reserve clothbound, Extra Aged, Smoked) — alongside jack, flavored, and sheep's milk varieties (Just Jack, Marco Polo, Hatch Jack, Flagsheep, Garlic Noir, Dulcet), using traditional methods such as 14-16% moisture-loss clothbound aging for Flagship Reserve, fresh local milk without rBST, and no artificial preservatives.
The company's product portfolio extends well beyond cheese into a frozen prepared-foods line anchored by the award-winning 'World's Best' Mac & Cheese, plus Baked Ziti, Lasagna, Cacio e Pepe, Pasta Bolognese, several soups (Tomato Cheddar, Broccoli Cheddar, Red Lentil, Pork Verde, Smoky Cauliflower Bisque, Chicken & Vegetable), and artisan crackers (Original, Flagship Cheese, Honey Oat). Beecher's monetizes through four channels: company-owned cafes (12 locations including Pike Place Market, Bellevue, Overlake, Paine Field, and 8 US airport concourses), nationwide grocery retail in freezer and deli sections, online retail (own site plus Murray's Cheese), and a wholesale distribution network of 30+ distributors across Continental US, Alaska, and Hawaii (including UNFI, Sysco, Chef's Warehouse). Customers are primarily individual consumers — food enthusiasts, Pike Place tourists, and airport travelers — with secondary B2B exposure to grocers, restaurants, and distributors. The company is currently investing in a new cheese-making facility in Shullsburg, Wisconsin (announced July 2026, planned reopen November 2026), its first new manufacturing site since closing its NYC location in 2023.
Beecher's Handmade Cheese firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Beecher's Handmade Cheese
- Legal name
- Sugar Mountain Online, LLC
- Website
- https://beechershandmadecheese.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Beecher's Handmade Cheese is a Seattle-based artisan cheesemaker and prepared-foods producer founded in 2003, selling award-winning Flagship cheeses, frozen mac and cheese, soups, and crackers through 12 cafes, nationwide grocery retail, and a 30+ distributor wholesale network.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Beecher's Handmade Cheese industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Artisan Cheese
- NAICS
- Cheese Manufacturing (311513), Cookie and Cracker Manufacturing (311821), Frozen Food Manufacturing (31141)
- SIC
- Food And Kindred Products (2000), Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090), Cookies & Crackers (2052)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cheese Packaging & Portioning (Retail Packs, Snack Packs, Singles) (AFAHABAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Crackers & Savory Biscuits Manufacturing (AFAKAIAJ), Grated, Shredded & Sliced Cheese Manufacturing (Value-Added Cuts) (AFAHABAF)
Keywords
Where Beecher's Handmade Cheese is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seattle
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices11 records
Markets served
Beecher's Handmade Cheese business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Cafe Sales: Company-owned cafes serve prepared foods including World Best Mac & Cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches, soups, and artisan cheese counter sales. Dine-in and takeout available at Pike Place Market, Bellevue, Overlake, and airport locations.
- Retail Grocery Products: Frozen entrees, side dishes, soups, and crackers sold through grocery store freezers and deli sections nationwide. Products include Mac & Cheese, Baked Ziti, Lasagna, and various soups.
- Artisan Cheese Retail: Award-winning cheeses sold by weight at cafes, grocery stores, and through Murray's Cheese online. Flagship, Flagship Reserve, Just Jack, and specialty varieties.
- Wholesale Distribution: Bulk cheese and prepared food products sold to retailers, restaurants, and distributors through wholesale network covering Continental US, Alaska, and Hawaii.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Beecher's Handmade Cheese product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Beecher's Handmade Cheese is an artisan cheesemaker founded in 2003 that produces handcrafted cheese varieties, frozen prepared foods (including the signature "World's Best" Mac & Cheese), soups, and crackers. The company operates 12 cafe locations across Seattle and major US airports, sells products through nationwide grocery retailers and wholesale distributors, and uses glass-walled cheesemaking kitchens that allow customers to witness the production process firsthand.
Product overview
Beecher's Handmade Cheese is a Seattle-based artisan cheesemaker offering a diverse portfolio of handcrafted cheese products and frozen prepared foods. The core product line centers on Flagship Cheese and its variants (Flagship Reserve, Extra Aged Flagship, Smoked Flagship), complemented by specialty cheeses like Garlic Noir, Just Jack, Marco Polo, and Hatch Jack. The prepared foods division features the flagship "World's Best" Mac & Cheese alongside Baked Ziti, Cheese Curd Lasagna, Cacio e Pepe, Pasta Bolognese, and various mac and cheese variations. The soup lineup includes Tomato Cheddar Soup, Broccoli Cheddar Soup, and specialty bisques. The cracker portfolio includes Original, Flagship Cheese, and Honey Oat crackers, plus gluten-free varieties. All products emphasize real ingredients free of artificial preservatives, with milk sourced from cows not treated with rBST.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Flagship Cheese
Quantifiable outcome
- Best of Show at American Cheese Society (2022), highest honor for American artisan cheeses
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Beecher's Handmade Cheese
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Beecher's Handmade Cheese technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Beecher's Handmade Cheese partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Murray's CheesecoreMurray's Cheese is an authorized online retailer for Beecher's cheese products including Flagship Cheese, Flagship Reserve, Just Jack, Flagship Cheese Sticks, Just Jack Cheese Sticks, and various cheese curd products. Products available for online purchase through Murray's website.
- UNFI (United Natural Foods)coreNationwide frozen food distributor covering Continental US, Alaska, and Hawaii. Part of Beecher's wholesale distribution network.
- Sysco Seattle Inc.coreRegional cheese and frozen food distributor serving Pacific Northwest. Part of Beecher's wholesale distribution network.
- Chef's WarehousecoreSpecialty food distributor serving Las Vegas, NV; Miami, FL; Portland, OR; San Francisco, CA; and Washington, DC. Part of Beecher's wholesale distribution network.
- Caffe VitaminorCaffe Vita coffee is served within Beecher's cafe locations. At Overlake location, Caffe Vita coffee drinks are offered alongside Beecher's food menu.
- Paine Field AirportminorBeecher's cafe located within Paine Field Passenger Terminal, offering food and artisan cheese to travelers.
- Sugar MountaincoreSugar Mountain Online LLC is the parent company of Beecher's Handmade Cheese. Also operates The Beecher's Foundation, which receives donations from a portion of all Beecher's sales.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Beecher's Handmade Cheese competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Rogue Creamery: Oregon-based artisan cheesemaker known for award-winning blue and cheddar-style cheeses. Directly comparable to Beecher's on craft-positioning, ACS competition wins, and Pacific Northwest origin.
- Jasper Hill Farm: Vermont-based artisan cheese producer with flagship clothbound cheddar and cave-aging operations. Comparable to Beecher's Flagship Reserve on premium clothbound aging expertise and ACS accolades.
- Tillamook: Oregon farmer-owned dairy brand with broad cheese, ice cream, and prepared-food portfolio. Closely comparable to Beecher's on Pacific Northwest dairy heritage, premium positioning, and nationwide grocery/wholesale distribution.
- Cypress Grove: Specialty cheese maker famous for Humboldt Fog and other premium goat cheeses. Comparable to Beecher's on small-batch artisan cheesemaking and nationwide specialty retail/wholesale footprint.
- Cabot Creamery: Vermont farmer-owned cooperative producing award-winning cheddar and other cheeses with strong foodservice and retail presence. Comparable on clothbound cheddar pedigree and broad distribution.
- Roth Cheese: Wisconsin-based specialty cheese maker producing Grand Cru, Alpine-style, and aged cheddars. Comparable to Beecher's on Wisconsin manufacturing, clothbound/specialty cheesemaking, and national retail presence.
- Vermont Creamery: Small-batch artisan dairy producing cheeses and butters with clean-label positioning. Directly comparable to Beecher's on premium small-batch craft dairy and clean-ingredient brand story.
- Annie's Homegrown (General Mills): Premium/natural Mac & Cheese and prepared-pasta brand now owned by General Mills. The most direct head-to-head competitor in the premium frozen Mac & Cheese category where Beecher's 'World's Best' competes.
Broad incumbents
- Sargento Foods: Large-scale Wisconsin cheese manufacturer with mass-market shredded/snack cheese lines. Comparable to Beecher's on US cheese footprint but at much larger scale and broader retail penetration.
- Murray's Cheese: Iconic NYC cheese retailer and distributor that is already an authorized Beecher's online partner. Comparable as a specialty cheese curating/distributing brand with direct consumer and wholesale reach.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Beecher's Handmade Cheese social profiles
Digital presenceBeecher's Handmade Cheese financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Beecher's Handmade Cheese leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Beecher's Handmade Cheese funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Beecher's Handmade Cheese M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Beecher's Handmade Cheese
What does Beecher's Handmade Cheese do?
Beecher's Handmade Cheese is an artisan cheesemaker founded in 2003 that produces handcrafted cheese varieties, frozen prepared foods (including the signature "World's Best" Mac & Cheese), soups, and crackers. The company operates 12 cafe locations across Seattle and major US airports, sells products through nationwide grocery retailers and wholesale distributors, and uses glass-walled cheesemaking kitchens that allow customers to witness the production process firsthand.
Is Beecher's Handmade Cheese a public or private company?
Beecher's Handmade Cheese is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Beecher's Handmade Cheese founded?
Beecher's Handmade Cheese was founded in 2003. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Beecher's Handmade Cheese based?
Beecher's Handmade Cheese is headquartered in Seattle, United States, in the North America region.
How does Beecher's Handmade Cheese make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Cafe Sales are the primary driver. The others are retail Grocery Products, artisan Cheese Retail and wholesale Distribution.
Who are Beecher's Handmade Cheese's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Rogue Creamery, Jasper Hill Farm, Tillamook, Cypress Grove, Cabot Creamery, Roth Cheese, Vermont Creamery and Annie's Homegrown (General Mills). Broad incumbents are Sargento Foods and Murray's Cheese.
Does Beecher's Handmade Cheese have an API?
No public API is recorded for Beecher's Handmade Cheese.
What industry is Beecher's Handmade Cheese in?
Beecher's Handmade Cheese's product category is Artisan Cheese. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAHABAI, Cheese Packaging & Portioning (Retail Packs, Snack Packs, Singles), with a secondary code of AFAKAIAJ, Crackers & Savory Biscuits Manufacturing. Its NAICS code is 311513 and its SIC code is 2000.